The rain had passed in the night, but the air remained heavy, draped in the scent of wet bark and churned soil. Shafts of pale light filtered through the canopy above, dappling the clearing in scattered greys. Damp leaves stuck to boots and fingers. Nothing moved quickly. Nothing spoke loudly. It is the quiet after the storm, one where everyone can finally rest. However, deeper in the jungle, further away, something is waking. Something is listening.
It's heart beats slow but rhythmically. Its eyes flutter open and close. It is waiting. It isn't ready. But soon it will be. Soon it will wake. For the jungle is theirs and theirs alone. It doesn't allow others to own what it owns. It doesn't want others here. So it will wait, until the time is ready.
Raif stirred from where he'd rested near the orb, its faint glow still pulsing in a soft rhythm. His back ached. His limbs were stiff. But he was up before the others. A habit formed not by choice but by need.
Around him, the camp stirred slowly. Mira crouched beside Naera, adjusting the bindings on her leg, murmuring something under her breath. Naera, pale but upright, brushed her off with a stubborn shake of her head. Lira was seated by Syl, wiping sweat from her brow with practiced, careful motions. Goss and Hennick were hunched near the wall, their quiet conversation broken only by occasional grim nods. Eloin moved alone, adjusting fence supports, checking for damage.
Kael moved along the perimeter, not quite part of the camp, but not gone either. As always, watching. Listening.
Raif took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Then he stepped forward and spoke.
"We need to talk. Everyone. By the orb."
It wasn't a command. But they came.
The group assembled without question, drawn not by force but by a shared weight in their bones. No one leaned too hard on their injuries. No one brought weapons. Even Kael stood still near the back, hands at his sides.
Raif looked at them—nine people, every one changed by what they'd endured. He rubbed a hand across his face, the words forming slower than he wanted.
"We held the clearing. We survived the assault. And now the Core says we have half the jungle under control. That means we have the other half ahead of us."
Lira gave a small, humourless laugh. "So what, we just rinse and repeat?"
"We build," Raif said. "We rest. We make this place stronger than it was before."
Rix was already nodding. "The kiln. The cistern. That new structure—the Vein of Resonance. All of them give us what we need. KE. Water. Fire. We can't waste time."
Eloin stepped forward, arms crossed. "I've already marked out where we can place the kiln. It won't be easy. The clay's not great here, but I can make it work."
Goss gave a small shrug. "I'll help. Might be good to put my hands to something that doesn't bite."
Hennick muttered, "Speak for yourself. Bark wall splinters like a bastard."
Naera smiled faintly but didn't speak. She kept glancing at Mira, who stood nearby, arms folded tightly, gaze fixed on Raif.
Raif turned to her. "What are you thinking?"
Mira exhaled through her nose. "I'm thinking about the cost. We've built things before. Strengthened the walls. Look what it got us."
Rix countered, "It bought us time. Time we needed. Without the kiln, we can't make real weapons. Without the cistern, we waste effort boiling rainwater. And the Vein—"
"We don't even know what that thing does," Mira snapped. "We just assume it'll help."
"It generates KE," Rix said evenly. "That means more flexibility. That means more choice."
"It also means more attention," Mira replied, her voice quieting. "The more we build, the more we attract."
Silence followed. Even the birds above seemed to pause.
Raif nodded slowly. "You're not wrong. But the jungle's watching us whether we build or not. If we do nothing, we fall behind."
Lira finally spoke, her tone unusually soft. "So what do we need most?"
There was a beat of silence, and then Hennick grunted. "Weapons. Real ones. The kind that don't snap the first time you hit something."
"Which means the kiln," Eloin said. "But that won't feed anyone or keep them hydrated."
Rix turned to Goss. "Storage? Can we keep water safe in the cistern? Even with the rot still out there?"
Goss shrugged. "If it's sealed right. Proper elevation, even a filtering base of stone."
"So we do the cistern first?" Mira asked.
"It's the most urgent," Naera said, quiet but firm. "Syl needs clean water. We all do."
Raif looked around. "Hands up if you vote for cistern first."
One by one, they lifted their hands. Even Kael raised his.
"Then it's settled. Cistern, then kiln-"
"Wait, but the kiln will give us better defences. We can make clay bricks which will always be stronger than mud, sticks, and dirt." Eloin injected after a moment of thought.
Raif stops mid-sentence, pausing as he processes Eloin's words. However, Naera shakes her head.
"It doesn't matter if we can make better walls. How long will that take to build over everything we already did? We only got the walls to what we got them to be was because we worked nonstop."
"Then isn't it better to start it earlier?" Rix countered. His words made sense, after all, if it took a long time, it was best to start earlier rather than later. Raif frowned, not in frustration, but in thought. Both were viable and both are needed.
"What if we do them at the same time?" Hennick mentioned. He leaned his back and cracked his neck as he spoke. "We have the priority be getting clean water, and the second be the kiln."
Raif nodded and added to the statement, "In that case, Eloin, Goss and Hennick can get started on the Cistern, while Lira and wherever else is available start working on the kiln. It will be slower but will be a start, and once Cistern is built we can move everyone to the kiln. In saying that, the ones that will help Lira will be those who are not going out of the clearing to scout."
Kael drew in the dirt, outlining patches of terrain. Mira watched him, then said, "We can send three at a time. Same as before. But not Kael and I both. One of us stays."
"Rotation's key," Goss said, arms folded. "Can't have people out there for too long without sleep."
Rix tapped his fingers together, thinking aloud. "We prioritise zones we haven't visited. Areas north and west are least familiar. We look for patterns in the terrain—clusters of the spiral growths, animal paths, high ground."
Eloin asked, "Do we bait anything? Draw out what we can't see?"
"Too risky for now," Raif replied. "We observe. Retreat if needed. Keep contact low."
"But if we spot something dangerous?" Naera asked.
"We bring the information back," Rix said. "Knowledge first. Kills second."
Lira raised an eyebrow. "That's new. I thought you always wanted to strike first."
Rix gave a tight smile. "I'm learning."
Raif nodded. "Alright. Scouting parties will alternate. One team out every second day, the rest stay and rebuild. Kael, Naera, Rix—first team. Mira and I will handle the next run. Those who are not out will help Lira construct the kiln."
Kael tilted his head slightly, but didn't object. Mira, arms still folded, just grunted softly.
"With that out of the way, I have one last topic. Summoning."Raif exhaled. "I want us to be ready. But I don't want to throw people into hell without knowing what we're calling them into."
Kael stepped forward. He didn't speak. But he opened his hand, then slowly closed it into a fist. Tight. Unyielding.
Raif understood.
He looked around the group again—their wary eyes, their battered forms.
"We make the call tomorrow," he said. "Get some rest. Think it through. This isn't just about what we want. It's about what we're asking someone else to step into."
The words lingered as the group slowly broke apart. No arguments this time. Just quiet understanding.
That night, no one slept easily. But they all knew what tomorrow would bring.
The fire had burned low. Embers pulsed like the last heartbeats of a long day. Raif sat on the edge of the crate again, head lowered, shoulders forward. The storm was gone, but the silence that followed hadn't brought peace.
Rix sat across from him, chewing on the last of the dried roots. "We've seen the worst of it. I hope."
Raif didn't respond.
Goss passed by with an armful of bark strips, nodding once before disappearing into the darkness. Lira yawned loudly and disappeared toward Syl's shelter. Mira walked past with Naera leaning on her shoulder, their silhouettes blending as they entered the hut.
Kael stood beside the perimeter again, barely visible, part of the jungle's silhouette.
"Tomorrow," Raif whispered.
And the orb shimmered gently, casting its pale green light across the dirt.
There were no words. But the night seemed to listen.
They would summon again. And they would not be the same after.